Index of Names in Irish Annals: Gilla Ruad / Giolla Ruadh

by Mari Elspeth nic Bryan (Kathleen M. O'Brien)

Masculine Given Names: Gilla Ruad / Giolla Ruadh

Spellings:

What we know as a set of Irish Annals are manuscripts that were each compiled during a particular time period, usually using older material as sources. For example, when the Annals of the Four Masters were written from 1632 to 1636, they covered events that occurred centuries and millenia before (including legendary history). So, when an entry in this set of annals refers to a person who lived in the year 738, the spelling used for that person's name is very likely not using the spelling that would have been used in 738.

Standard forms of this name (based on spelling systems of different periods) would be:


Middle Irish Gaelic (c900-c1200) nominative form:	Gilla Ruad
Middle Irish Gaelic (c900-c1200) genitive form:	Gilla Ruaid
Middle Irish Gaelic (c900-c1200) patronymic form:	mac in Gilla Ruaid

Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c1200-c1700) nominative form:	Giolla Ruadh
Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c1200-c1700) genitive form:	Giolla Ruaidh
Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c1200-c1700) patronymic form:	mac an Giolla Ruaidh
Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c1200-c1700) surname/chiefly title form:	Mac Giolla Ruaidh

Frequency & Dates:

Number of men found in the annals with this name: 5

Found in Years: 1196, 1227, 1258, 1277, 1317

Research Notes:

NOTE: This name began as an appellative - it was used in place of the given name, not actually as a given name.

The name literally means 'red boy' (i.e. red-headed boy). Because of this meaning, and the grammar construction of the phrase, it usually appears in byname phrases with the definite article. So, the normal form seen in the annals uses the construction mac an Giolla Ruaidh meaning 'son [of] the red[-headed] boy'.

This name also became the basis for an inherited family name that was also used as a chiefly title. In that usage, the definite article an 'the' seems to have fallen away fairly quickly.

Sources:

Further information about the name Gilla Ruad / Giolla Ruadh may be found in:

The Sources page lists the Annals referenced below. Information about secondary sources is included on that page as well.

Raw Data

In the table below, I have separated individuals with a blank line. That is, when there are multiple entries in the annals that refer to a single person, those entries are grouped together.

Within the list of entries refering to a single person, I have sorted the entries primarily by orthography when it is obvious that what I am seeing is the same entry showing up in multiple annals. The entries that tend to use older spellings are listed first.

Special factors which may affect name usage are marked in the context column.

AN indicates a member of an Anglo-Norman family

AS indicates an Anglo-Saxon

N indicates a Norseman

P indicates a Pict

R indicates a person holding a religious office

S indicates a person from Scotland

NOTE: The Annals referenced below under the code letters A, B, C, E, & F tend to use later spellings than the other Annals. In some cases, the spellings listed in these Annals may not be appropriate for the year referenced in the Annal entry.

In some Gaelic scripts, there is a character that looks approximately like a lowercase f, but without the crossbar. This character (represented by an underscored , e, in the entries below) sometimes represents e and sometimes ea depending upon the context of the text.

[Standardized form of this man's name]

Annals Entry Context Citation (formatting preserved)

(d. 1196)

C M1196.8 Muiredhach Mhácc Ragnaill .i. an Giolla Ruadh taoiseach Muintire h-Eolais ("Murray Mac Rannall, surnamed the Gillaroe, Chief of Muintir-Eolais")

[an Giolla Ruadh Ó Gadhra] (d. 1227)

Co 1227.4 don Gilla Ruad

C M1227.6 don Ghiolla Ruadh

Co 1227.4 In Gilla Ruad [Note: "In" is capitalized in the normalized transcription because it is at the beginning of a sentence.]

C M1227.6 an Giolla Ruadh

(d. ?)

Co 1258.10 Matha mac Gilla Ruaid h. Raduib .i. in maigestir

C M1258.5 Matha mac Giolla Ruaidh Uí Roduibh

(d. ?)

Co 1277.3 don Gilla Ruad mac Lochlainn h. Conchobair

C M1277.3 don Giolla Ruadh mac Lochlainn Ui Concobhair

(d. 1317)

Co 1317.8 in Gilla Ruad mac ind airchindich

C M1317.7 an Giolla Ruadh mac an Airchindigh Mic Tighernáin

Mac Giolla Ruaidh used as a family name or chiefly title:

Co 1291.11 R Lucas Mac Gilla Ruaid archideochain Ola Find

Co 1408.10 Baethan Mac Gilla Ruaid

D M1408.4 don Baothán mac Giolla Ruaidh

U3 U1476.4 Mac Gilla Ruaidh, .i. Domnall Mac Gilla Ruaidh

U3 U1484.3 Mac Gilla Ruaidh, .i. Brian, mac Domnaill Mic Gilla Ruaidh

U3 U1485.20 Mac Gilla Ruaidh (.i. Brian)

D M1484.16 Mac Giolla Ruaidh, .i. Brian mac Domhnaill

U3 U1485.20 Mac Seaain Mic Gilla Ruaidh (.i. Gilla Padraig) [Note: the first Mac is capitalized in the normalized transcription because it is at the beginning of a sentence.]

U3 U1487.35 Ruaidhri, mac Goffradha, mic Domnaill Mic Gilla Ruaidh

U3 U1493.1 Mairgreg, ingen Meg Uidhir, .i. ingen Tomais Oig, mic an Gilla Dhuibh Meg Uidhir, .i. bean Mic Gilla Ruaidh, .i. Domnaill, mic Mail t-Shechlainn, mic an Gilla Bhallaigh Mic Gilla Ruaidh ["Margaret, daughter of Mag Uidhir, namely, daughter of Thomas junior, son of the black Gillie Mag Uidhir, that is, wife of Mac Gilla-ruaidh, namely, of Domnall, son of Mael-Shechlainn, son of the freckled Gillie Mac Gilla-ruaidh"]

U3 U1495.33 Mac Gilla Ruaidh, .i. Brian, mac Domnaill, mic Maeil t-Shechlainn Mic Gilla Ruaidh

U3 U1497.34 Uilliam Og, mac Uilliam Mic Gilla Ruaidh

D M1500.14 Domhnall Caoch Mac Giolla Ruaidh

D M1500.14 Ruaidhri mac Domhnaill Girr Mec Giolla Ruaidh

D M1500.15 Gofraidh Mac Giolla Ruaidh

Co 1520.13 Mac Gilla Ruaidh .i. Gofraidh

E M1507.8 Mac Gilla Ruaidh .i. Brian

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Number of men found in the annals with this name:	5
Found in Years:	1196, 1227, 1258, 1277, 1317

AN	indicates a member of an Anglo-Norman family
AS	indicates an Anglo-Saxon
N	indicates a Norseman
P	indicates a Pict
R	indicates a person holding a religious office
S	indicates a person from Scotland

[Standardized form of this man's name]
Annals	Entry	Context	Citation (formatting preserved)

(d. 1196)
C	M1196.8		Muiredhach Mhácc Ragnaill .i. an Giolla Ruadh taoiseach Muintire h-Eolais ("Murray Mac Rannall, surnamed the Gillaroe, Chief of Muintir-Eolais")

[an Giolla Ruadh Ó Gadhra] (d. 1227)
Co	1227.4		don Gilla Ruad
C	M1227.6		don Ghiolla Ruadh
Co	1227.4		In Gilla Ruad [Note: "In" is capitalized in the normalized transcription because it is at the beginning of a sentence.]
C	M1227.6		an Giolla Ruadh

(d. ?)
Co	1258.10		Matha mac Gilla Ruaid h. Raduib .i. in maigestir
C	M1258.5		Matha mac Giolla Ruaidh Uí Roduibh

(d. ?)
Co	1277.3		don Gilla Ruad mac Lochlainn h. Conchobair
C	M1277.3		don Giolla Ruadh mac Lochlainn Ui Concobhair

(d. 1317)
Co	1317.8		in Gilla Ruad mac ind airchindich
C	M1317.7		an Giolla Ruadh mac an Airchindigh Mic Tighernáin

Mac Giolla Ruaidh used as a family name or chiefly title:

Co	1291.11	R	Lucas Mac Gilla Ruaid archideochain Ola Find

Co	1408.10		Baethan Mac Gilla Ruaid
D	M1408.4		don Baothán mac Giolla Ruaidh

U3	U1476.4		Mac Gilla Ruaidh, .i. Domnall Mac Gilla Ruaidh

U3	U1484.3		Mac Gilla Ruaidh, .i. Brian, mac Domnaill Mic Gilla Ruaidh
U3	U1485.20		Mac Gilla Ruaidh (.i. Brian)
D	M1484.16		Mac Giolla Ruaidh, .i. Brian mac Domhnaill

U3	U1485.20		Mac Seaain Mic Gilla Ruaidh (.i. Gilla Padraig) [Note: the first Mac is capitalized in the normalized transcription because it is at the beginning of a sentence.]

U3	U1487.35		Ruaidhri, mac Goffradha, mic Domnaill Mic Gilla Ruaidh

U3	U1493.1		Mairgreg, ingen Meg Uidhir, .i. ingen Tomais Oig, mic an Gilla Dhuibh Meg Uidhir, .i. bean Mic Gilla Ruaidh, .i. Domnaill, mic Mail t-Shechlainn, mic an Gilla Bhallaigh Mic Gilla Ruaidh ["Margaret, daughter of Mag Uidhir, namely, daughter of Thomas junior, son of the black Gillie Mag Uidhir, that is, wife of Mac Gilla-ruaidh, namely, of Domnall, son of Mael-Shechlainn, son of the freckled Gillie Mac Gilla-ruaidh"]
U3	U1495.33		Mac Gilla Ruaidh, .i. Brian, mac Domnaill, mic Maeil t-Shechlainn Mic Gilla Ruaidh

U3	U1497.34		Uilliam Og, mac Uilliam Mic Gilla Ruaidh

D	M1500.14		Domhnall Caoch Mac Giolla Ruaidh

D	M1500.14		Ruaidhri mac Domhnaill Girr Mec Giolla Ruaidh

D	M1500.15		Gofraidh Mac Giolla Ruaidh
Co	1520.13		Mac Gilla Ruaidh .i. Gofraidh

E	M1507.8		Mac Gilla Ruaidh .i. Brian